Unit 6 Reading Response

Designing for the iOS seems daunting to me, as I have trouble with designing with clarity for such small devices. Using Vector graphics has helped me through this particular apprehension; however, it still seems difficult to manage, as I always want to cram as much information into something as I can. Steve Jobs accomplished a great feat by stripping things down to the bare minimum and finding out what the core experience consists of. And he did it very well, obviously.

Just as the message in Don’t Make Me Think is clearly keeping things simple, so too, does it appear to be a prominent theme in this particular selection. The idea of not using gradients or bezels or even drop shadows in app content is a great one, considering that it can often disorient and confuse. The same is applied into negative space. I feel that when I first started designing, I was afraid of negative space, but after seeing it utilized correctly in many different areas, I see how useful it can be to truly bring out the important content on the screen.

Keeping a design simple makes it easy to use and most people are not looking for ostentatious; they are looking for easy, especially since the modern society appreciates every convenience afforded to it.

In regards to the article discussing Skeuomorphic design, I did not find the subject very interesting. Reason being, design is something that is ever evolving and trying to define which “style” is better seems unnecessary. Personally, I enjoy the Skeuomorphic design for certain things that make me feel nostalgic, or if I want to “feel” the atmosphere of a certain site. However, it is not necessary, and to paint the design world with one single brush seems like an ignoble action.


http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2391521,00.asp

http://www.instapaper.com/iphone

https://developer.apple.com/library/iOS/referencelibrary/GettingStarted/RoadMapiOS/index.html

http://www.whatech.com/mobile-apps/498-news/18755-do-you-know-about-global-effect-of-iphone-app-development